REGION 1CONNECTICUT – As part of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) efforts to transform and enhance its cleanup program for brownfields and other contaminated properties, DEEP is using Section 128(a) Response Program funding to draft regulatory guidance documents. In February 2014, DEEP released its most recent draft of the Technical Impracticability (TI) Variance Guidance Document and Fact Sheet and announced an upcoming public meeting in April 2014 for the opportunity for public comment. TI Variance is a remedial option provided under Connecticut Remediation Standard Regulations (RSRs) and the guidance document provides clarification on the conditions for which TI Variance would be applicable and appropriate. For additional information on Connecticut DEEP’s draft regulatory guidance documents and TI Variance, please visit: http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2715&q=534920&deepNav_GID=1626.

REGION 2NEW JERSEY – An abandoned brownfield in downtown Jersey City was redeveloped into a mixed-income residential complex. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection provided oversight during assessment and cleanup of the 6-acre property. Environmental assessments revealed contaminated historic fill, VOC-impacted groundwater, two abandoned underground storage tanks, and chromate ore processing residue. In addition, there were site redevelopment issues related to buried debris, vapor intrusion and localized organic deposits. Cleanup activities, which addressed the environmental and geotechnical redevelopment issues, included: soil reuse to minimize off-site disposal costs; vapor protection and monitoring; and the design of a cost-effective site cap. Lafayette Village, a 124-unit, mixed-income residential complex, uses a compact mixture of garden, row and semi-detached townhouses to create a community that encourages resident interaction, promotes walkability and maintains affordability. The redeveloped property also includes internal courtyards, multiple playgrounds, a community center, and sidewalks. Traditional design features embrace the historic character of the neighborhood as well.

United StatesEnvironmental ProtectionAgency

State and Tribal Response Program HighlightsEPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities

CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding January/February 2014

REGION 3VIRGINIA – The former Stillwater Textile Plant in Goshen ceased operations nearly 10 years ago and sat idle and heavily vandalized for years afterward, with a number of environmental concerns. The property spans over 146 acres, much of which was open space not used for plant operations. In 2009, EPA’s Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team conducted an environmental investigation, determining that property conditions did not warrant an emergency removal action. The results allowed a local businessman to move forward with further evaluation of the property for potential purchase in order to expand his timber milling operations. Rockbridge County provided significant support for the reuse of this property and applied for a Virginia Brownfields Assistance Fund Grant in order to further evaluate the property prior to redevelopment. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Regional and Brownfields staff held several meetings with the potential purchaser and representatives of the former owners to discuss environmental concerns. The property is now enrolled in the state’s Voluntary Remediation Program in order to complete cleanup of the textile mill area of the property.

The completed Lafayette Village, a mixed-income residential complex.

CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding January/February 2014

REGION 5INDIANA – The Indiana Brownfields Program used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide technical oversight for environmental assessment and remediation activities at the 2.86-acre former National Malleable Castings Company Works in Indianapolis. The property began as the Indianapolis Malleable Iron Works Company, with foundry operations beginning in 1875 and continuing until 1962 when the facility closed. The iron works foundry buildings were demolished in 1963, but the foundations and footings from these buildings remained. The central portions of the property were elevated approximately five to six feet above the original ground surface by fill material deposited at the property since 1963. Environmental assessments revealed soil contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds and metals. After cleanup the property was redeveloped into the Lincoln Apartments, a multi-story facility with a fully furnished, 75-unit apartment building and parking area to be utilized as transitional housing for homeless veterans on the upper floors and support services on the ground floor. The facility is located next to a community health center and approximately one mile from the Roudebush Veteran Affairs Medical Center. In November 2013, on the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, a dedication ceremony was held for the new Lincoln Apartments that drew a variety of stakeholders, including officials from the U.S. EPA, the state, the Mayor’s office, and residents of the new facility.

REGION 6OKLAHOMA – Hobart Public School System in the City of Hobart is in great need of a safe place for parents to drop-off and pick-up elementary school students. The elementary school is located on State Highway Business Route 9 and has no parking or pick-up area that is safe for the children. Children often have to cross the busy highway to get to their parents’ vehicles. The abandoned Hobart Middle School, located next door, is the ideal property to create a safe place for child pick-up and parking; however, it contained asbestos and the school system did not have the necessary funds for the abatement. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment and used the State Fund to complete asbestos abatement. With abatement complete, the school system is moving forward to demolish the building and complete the safe pick-up area for the 2014-2015 school year.

The award-winning University Commons at Georgia State University.

REGION 4 GEORGIA – Georgia State University (GSU), located in downtown Atlanta, was a “commuter school” for most of its history. Conversion of the Olympic Athletes’ Village built for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games gave GSU its first opportunity to provide dormitory-style student housing. Georgia’s Section 128(a) Brownfields Program gave the urban university an opportunity to design and build modern apartment-style student housing more closely integrated with the main campus. The GSU Foundation purchased a 4.2-acre urban brownfield block, historically used as a gas station, a dry cleaner, and a car dealership. The property had sustained environmental impacts from all of these former uses. Under oversight from Georgia’s Brownfields Program, 8,000 tons of contaminated soil was removed from the property. The property was subsequently developed into an apartment complex to house students adjacent to campus in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The complex includes four apartment buildings ranging from 8 to 15 stories, and houses approximately 2,000 GSU students. The $168 million project brought a dramatic change to downtown Atlanta. Long a city with an empty center, the area is now home to young, vibrant, full-time residents. The economic impact on downtown led Central Atlanta Progress, Inc. to name University Commons the 2007 winner of its annual Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award for residential development. In 2011, the GSU Commons won recognition from CampusSplash.com as the “Best Overall Dorm in the Country.”

REGION 8BLACKFEET – The Blackfeet Tribe’s Brownfields Tribal Response Program hired consultants to complete Phase I and Phase II assessments and pre-demolition asbestos inspections of 13 commercial and industrial properties located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Buildings on these properties were determined to be abandoned, unsecured, structurally unsound and unsafe due to a variety of potential hazardous substances and conditions. The Blackfeet Tribe’s Brownfields Program provided Tribal oversight for demolition of the 13 structures, an effort that began in late summer 2013 and was completed in September. This action paved the way for future redevelopment of the now vacant properties, all located on prime commercial real estate. The Tribe has already been contacted by interested developers to open a fast food restaurant on one of the properties, and the Blackfeet Planning Department is working on redevelopment marketing for the other areas.

CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding January/February 2014 EPA-560-F-14-008United StatesEnvironmental ProtectionAgency

REGION 7 KANSAS – In 2013, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an assessment on the historic Overbrook Park Post Office that will be repurposed into a multi-use community arts center. The assessment revealed that there was no environmental contamination and that the property is ready for reuse. The InterUrban ArtHouse (IUAH) will take measures to ensure that the historic post office building is preserved while transforming the space into affordable studios, a community arts center, cultural space and a sculpture garden. The Post Office will remain a tenant in the new facility, a great step in ensuring the location will remain a vibrant part of the community. IUAH consulted varied artists and artisans who contributed to the design of the building. Care has been taken to preserve or enhance the building’s artistry from the beginning of the project’s design—from the building’s exterior to the planned sculpture garden and greenspace.

An artist’s rendering of the InterUrban ArtHouse (IUAH).

REGION 9CALIFORNIA – Over the past two years, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and the City of Compton have established a partnership to develop an effective method to address environmental justice issues that are widespread within the Interstate 710 corridor. The focus of the Compton Pilot Study is to apply a wide range of tools to bring properties back to productive reuse. DTSC’s Section 128(a) Response Program-funded Targeted Site Investigation (TSI) program is particularly helpful in facilitating this collaborative redevelopment process. DTSC worked with Compton and community representatives to hand-pick projects with the highest redevelopment potential and community support, and where TSI services would provide the most value. Over the past year, several properties were included in a “community-wide” phased assessment process. One of the properties addressed through this process was a 14-acre vacant landfill enclosed within a residential neighborhood. This property was of grave concern to the community, and advocacy groups worked closely with Compton to redevelop this property for much needed open space. A TSI was completed, and the final design plans for a regional park are currently underway. Community groups are working to establish a weekly farmer’s market to increase access to healthy foods, and launch a “junior ranger” program as a diversion program for at-risk teens. A 7-acre, former industrial property was also cleared through the TSI program for redevelopment. The City of Compton Pilot Study has allowed DTSC to develop an effective method to address brownfields in EJ communities, and address a resource gap through greater level of involvement in site-selection, follow-up, and engagement with the community.

REGION 10OREGON – The Thomas Cully Park property in Portland was a former sand and gravel mine, then a construction landfill, and is now in the process of becoming a park. In the summer of 2012 the Oregon Brownfield State Response Program used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to complete an assessment at the property. The 25-acre park will be developed in multiple phases. The Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) announced that it will contribute $1.25 million towards the first construction phase. This project will also address the lack of parks and natural areas in the Cully neighborhood—currently, over 400 families in the Cully neighborhood do not live within a half-mile of a park or natural area.